ὡς ὰρ ἔφη: σκήπτρῳ δὲ μετάφρενον ἠδὲ καὶ ὤμω
πλῆξεν: ὁ δ`' ἰ̈δνώθη: θαλερὸν δέ οι ἔκπεσε δάκρυ:
σμῶδιξ δ' αἱματόεσσα μεταφρένου ἐξυπανέστη
σκήπτρου ὑπὸ χρυσέου: ὁ δ' ὰρ ἕζετο. τάρβησέν τε:
ἀλγήσας δ`': ἀχρεῖον ἰ̈δὼν. ἀπομόρξατο δάκρυ:
οἱ δὲ, καὶ ἀχνύμενοί περ, ἐπ αὐτῷ ἡδὺ γέλασσαν:
ὧδε δέ τις εἴπεσκεν, ἰδὼν ἐς πλησίον ἄλλον:
ὦ πόποι: ῆ δὴ μυρί' Ὀδυσσεὺς ἐσθλὰ ἔοργε
βουλάς τ' ἐξάρχων ἀγαθὰς. πόλεμόν τε κορύσσων:
νῦν δὲ τόδε μέγ' ἄριστον ἐν Ἀργείοισιν ἔρεξεν.
ὃς τὸν λωβητῆρα ἐπεσβόλον ἔσχ' ἀγοράων:
οὐ θήν μιν πάλιν αὖτις ἀνήσει θυμὸς ἀγήνωρ
νεικείειν βασιλῆας ὀνειδείοις ἐπέεσσιν:
So spake Odysseus, and with his staff smote his back and shoulders; and Thersites cowered down, and a big tear fell from him, and a bloody weal rose up on his back beneath the staff of gold. Then he sate him down, and fear came upon him, and stung by pain with helpless looks he wiped away the tear. But the Achaeans, sore vexed at heart though they were, broke into a merry laugh at him, and thus would one speak with a glance at his neighbour: "Out upon it! verily hath Odysseus ere now wrought good deeds without number as leader in good counsel and setting battle in army, but now is this deed far the best that he hath wrought among the Argives, seeing he hath made this scurrilous babbler to cease from his prating. Never again, I ween, will his proud spirit henceforth set him on to rail at kings with words of reviling."
